Memorandum
City of Lawrence
City Manager’s Office
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TO: |
David L. Corliss, City Manager
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FROM: |
Jonathan Douglass, City Clerk/Assistant to the City Manager
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CC: |
Tarik Khatib, Chief of Police Mark Bradford, Fire Medical Chief Charles Soules, Public Works Director Ernie Shaw, Interim Parks and Recreation Director
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DATE: |
February 16, 2012
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RE: |
KU Relays 2012
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The Lawrence Sports Corporation (LSC) has been working with Kansas Athletics on plans for the 2012 KU Relays, and would like to request city approval for holding events downtown on Wednesday and Thursday, April 18-19, 2011. Please see attached permit application, which includes event descriptions and photos of the last year’s event. This is essentially the same event and setup from the April 2011 event. In summary, the proposed uses of downtown streets would be as follows:
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012 |
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Event: |
Shot Put |
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Location: |
100 block of E 8th St and the intersection of 8th St and New Hampshire St |
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Time of Event: |
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
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Time of Street Closure: |
6:00 a.m. Wednesday – 6:00 a.m. Thursday |
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Thursday, April 19, 2012 |
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Event: |
Long Jump |
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Location: |
100 block of W 8th St |
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Time of Event: |
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
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Time of Street Closure: |
Noon – Midnight |
The event would require city approval and various city services. Organizers request that the city pay for the support through reimbursement to the city’s general fund from the guest tax fund. City services in support of last year’s event cost just over $5,000.
Preparation and breakdown of event sites
For the shot put event, a throw area would be created by trucking in crushed limestone filler material. The city’s Street Maintenance Division has been involved in the planning of this site and would conduct the construction and cleanup of the site to ensure that the street surfaces are not damaged. This site would be cleaned up the night and early morning after the event in order to get the street and intersection open as quickly as possible. The Fire Medical Department notes that the intersection which would be blocked by this event provides immediate access to various mixed occupancy residential and commercial properties and will restrict access to a densely occupied area.
The landing pit for the long jump area would be filled with sand brought in from a private contractor. This sand will be cleared out and the street reopened by midnight the same evening as the event.
The Street Maintenance Division would provide barricades for closing the streets for all three events. The event organizers are also requesting that Parks and Recreation provide six additional trash barrels which would be moved from event to event by the organizers, and bleachers to be set up at the east end of the shot put site. The organizers also request standby medical support during the events.
Parking/traffic/bus route impacts
The shot put and long jump events would require that parking on the 100 block of E 8th Street and the 100 block of W 8th Street be prohibited during the street closure times outlined above. Instead of using the city’s parking meter bags, the event organizers would post signs on the meters like they have done for events such as the Tour of Lawrence bike race. The signs would go up 24 hours before the closure, but they seem to help prevent giving people the premature impression that parking is prohibited as soon as the signs go up.
The street closures will require some transit bus reroutes. Event organizers are working with Transit to plan the street closures and reroutes to be the least disruptive as possible.
Support from adjacent properties
Event organizers will personally notify properties adjacent to the street closures of their plans and solicit their support. The city will also send notification to Downtown Lawrence, Inc. for distribution to their membership list.
Alcohol
Event organizers request that the City Commission adopt an ordinance allowing the temporary possession and consumption of alcohol on the two blocks of 8th Street during the events on those blocks. Staff has drafted for the City Commission’s consideration, Ordinance No. 8694, authorizing the possession and consumption of alcoholic liquor on the 100 block of E 8th St and the intersection of 8th St and New Hampshire St from 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on 04/18/12, and on the 100 block of W 8th St from 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on 04/19/12.
ACTION: Approve a Temporary Use of Public Right-of-Way Permit for the closure of the 100 block of E 8th St and the intersection of 8th St and New Hampshire St from 6:00 a.m., 4/18/12 to 6:00 a.m. 4/19/12, and the closure of the 100 block of W 8th St from noon to midnight on 04/19/12, if appropriate.
Adopt on first reading, Ordinance No. 8694, authorizing the possession and consumption of alcoholic liquor on the 100 block of E 8th St and the intersection of 8th St and New Hampshire St from 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on 04/18/12, and on the 100 block of W 8th St from 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on 04/19/12.